Angélique Kidjo
Beninese-French musician and actress
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| July 3 2025 | Announced as the first black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. |
| 2023 | Awarded the Polar Music Prize. |
| November 17 2023 | Launched her 40th anniversary live concert tour at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring special guests including Ibrahim Maalouf, Youssou N'Dour, Stonebwoy, and Laura Mvula. The full concert was recorded and released as a pay-per-view event. |
| 2022 | Released two singles: 'Do Yourself' featuring Burna Boy (directed by Meji Alabi) and 'Let Me Be Great' as a featured artist on Sampa The Great's album 'As Above So Below'. |
| September 12 2022 | Performed the 1,000th Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music. |
| April 3 2022 | Won 'Best Global Music Album' at the 64th Grammy Awards for 'Mother Nature'. |
| November 16 2021 | Performed in Geneva, Switzerland, with the Geneva Camerata in the Concert Prestige n.2, conducted by David Greilsammer, with arrangements by Jonathan Keren and Francesco Ciniglio as the drummer. |
| September 30 2021 | Performed at the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. |
| September 15 2021 | Named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. |
| July 23 2021 | Performed Hans Zimmer's arrangement of 'Imagine' with John Legend, Keith Urban, and Alejandro Sanz during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. |
| June 18 2021 | Angélique Kidjo released her 15th studio album 'Mother Nature', featuring collaborations with various African artists including Yemi Alade, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, and international artists like Sting and Matthieu Chedid. The album was critically acclaimed for its pan-African collaboration and fusion of modern and traditional musical styles. |
| January 1 2021 | Awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest award of merit. |
| November 23 2020 | Kidjo was named on the BBC's 100 Women list. |
| October 2020 | Performed the original song 'How Can I Tell You?' in the documentary Nasrin, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. |
| July 23 2020 | Performs at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. |
| January 27 2020 | Won the Grammy for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. |
| January 26 2020 | Kidjo wins the Grammy Award for 'Best World Music Album' for her album 'Celia', celebrating her innovative tribute to Celia Cruz. |
| 2019 | Named spokesperson for AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa) by French President Macron at the G7 Summit. |
| August 4 2019 | Appeared at the Late Night Prom of the BBC in London's Albert Hall. |
| April 19 2019 | Angélique Kidjo releases 'Celia', a tribute album to Cuban singer Celia Cruz, produced by David Donatien and featuring artists like Tony Allen, Meshell Ndegeocello, and the Gangbe Brass Band. The album reimagines Cruz's songs with an Afrobeat style and received critical acclaim from The Guardian and Financial Times. |
| November 11 2018 | Performed Bella Bellow's song 'Blewu' under the Arc De Triomphe in Paris during the World War I Centennial Ceremony, commemorating fallen African soldiers, in a performance witnessed by 70 heads of state and a global television audience. |
| June 8 2018 | Angélique Kidjo released 'Remain in Light', a track-by-track re-imagination of Talking Heads' 1980 album, collaborating with producer Jeff Bhasker and featuring artists like Ezra Koenig, Blood Orange, and Tony Allen. The album celebrates the original work while incorporating Kidjo's own musical interpretations and vocals in languages from her home country. |
| July 15 2017 | Received the Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role from the Africa Movie Academy Awards for her role in Kunle Afolayan's movie, 'The CEO'. |
| May 5 2017 | Presented 'Remain In Light' concert at Carnegie Hall, reinventing the Talking Heads album, with an unexpected duet with David Byrne on 'Once In A Lifetime'. |
| 2016 | Received the Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International. |
| September 24 2016 | Kidjo was included in the exhibits at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on its opening day. |
| September 24 2016 | Performed at the opening ceremony of the National Museum of African American Culture and History in Washington, alongside notable figures like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. |
| July 10 2016 | Created the premiere of her 'African Women All-Stars' concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival with guests Aṣa, Dobet Gnaore, Lura, and Trio Teriba. |
| February 15 2016 | Kidjo won her third Grammy Award for her album 'Sings' in the Best Contemporary World Music Album category. |
| 2015 | Received the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. |
| November 5 2015 | Participated in the David Lynch Foundation's 'Change Begins Within' benefit concert at Carnegie Hall to promote transcendental meditation. |
| October 3 2015 | Premiered 'IFÉ, Three Yoruba Songs', her collaboration with Philip Glass, at the Philharmonie de Paris with the Orchestre Lamoureux. |
| September 25 2015 | Sang 'Afirika' at the United Nations General Assembly opening in New York, supporting the launch of Global Goals for Sustainable Development. |
| July 10 2015 | Performed with the San Francisco Symphony at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, featuring a program including Gershwin's 'Summertime' and her collaboration with Philip Glass. |
| February 8 2015 | Won her second Grammy Award for the album 'Eve', a tribute to the continent's women. |
| January 28 2015 | Kidjo was awarded the Visionary Leadership Award by the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut. |
| December 27 2014 | Won two All African Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Lagos, Nigeria: Best Contemporary Artist and Best Female Singer from West Africa. |
| November 5 2014 | Presented 'Mama Africa' tribute concert to Miriam Makeba at Carnegie Hall, featuring guests Laura Mvula and Ezra Koenig, introduced by Whoopi Goldberg. |
| September 21 2014 | Endorsed and participated in the People's Climate March in New York, interviewed by Amy Goodman for Democracy Now. |
| May 29 2014 | Sang with Brazilian singer Lenine and Portuguese guitarist Rui Veloso for the opening concert of The Rolling Stones at Rock in Rio Lisboa. |
| May 25 2014 | Awarded honorary Doctor of Arts degree by Middlebury College in the USA. |
| May 22 2014 | Met with US First Lady Michelle Obama to discuss international girls' education at the White House. |
| May 14 2014 | Performed at the Brazilian Music Awards at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. |
| September 13 2013 | Sang at the legendary Rock in Rio Festival with the rock band Living Color. |
| June 6 2013 | Elected vice-president of the Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC). |
| March 8 2013 | Performed at the Women of the World Festival at London's Royal Festival Hall on International Women's Day. |
| February 18 2013 | Hosted a celebration of Mali's cultural heritage at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, featuring performances by Malian artists. |
| December 6 2012 | Performed at Alicia Keys's Keep A Child Alive Black Ball at the Apollo Theatre, honored alongside Oprah Winfrey for humanitarian work. |
| October 9 2012 | Sang at the One World Concert in Syracuse, NY, honoring the Dalai Lama, performing with artists like Dave Matthews and Cyndi Lauper. |
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